The Escape
by ladywildcow
Summary: Gwaine is held prisoner in a dungeon by Morgana and Merlin has come to rescue his friend. Whilst trapped in a dark tunnel, they 'become closer'.


**The Escape by LWC**

**Gwaine is held prisoner by Morgana in a dungeon and Merlin has come to rescue his friend. Whilst trapped in a dark tunnel together, Gwaine and Merlin 'become closer'. If you want to read more, please review. ENJOY!**

Merlin crouched down quietly and looked downwards through the bars on the upper dungeon wall. The dungeon was dark and lit by flickering torchlight. He saw a figure chained to the wall – ripped britches and a torn shirt. His hands were chained above his head and his feet were manacled. His handsome, bearded face was streaked with dirt and his head leaned unconsciously to one side. Gwaine was alive. Thank God Merlin thought.

Merlin stayed absolutely still and listened to the sounds of the dungeon.

Too quiet. Why was it so very quiet?

He strained to try and get a better look of the dungeon door. It was made of solid wood and shut fast into a solid stone wall. On the other side of the cell was Gwaine - alone in the cramped, dirty prison.

Merlin looked at the bars in front of him, whispered an incantation and he pulled the bars away from the wall, as quietly as he possibly could. He placed the bars behind him and then, whispering another incantation, levitated up into the air, moved across the cell and lowered down gently in front of Gwaine.

Merlin nervously looked behind himself at the door, thinking he'd heard footsteps. He waited for a moment – holding his breath – scared someone might even hear him breathe. There were footsteps!

Someone was rapidly approaching the door. Merlin whispered and within seconds he has turned invisible just as a hatch on the door opened and two dark eyes inspected the room. Luckily the eyes didn't look up into the top corner of the cell or they would've seen missing bars.

As quickly as the guard had arrived, he slammed the hatch shut and shuffled away. Merlin breathed out and returned to being visible. He reached up his hand and lightly patted Gwaine's cheek.

"Gwaine…" he whispered and patted his cheek again. "Gwaine." But Gwaine was out cold.

Merlin put one arm around his waist for support and then whispered another spell. The chains and manacles instantly opened and Gwaine fell into a collapse against Merlin, winding him slightly. Gwaine may not be the tallest man but he was solid muscle, although he seemed to have lost weight.

Merlin tried to awaken him again but Gwaine was not responding.

Merlin's mind raced. Removing the unconscious knight from a dungeon was going to be dangerously difficult. Merlin needed to get Gwaine out now before the guards returned.

Merlin whispered again. With his eyes still closed and his head flopping about, Gwaine's body walked with jerky movements towards the dungeon wall with the missing bars/hole at the top. Gwaine then levitated upwards - Merlin concentrating hard to get the right moment to flip Gwaine onto his stomach and float him through the hole. The first attempt almost saw Gwaine hit his head. Merlin grimaced. However, Gwaine made it through on the third attempt and Merlin released him, so that he dropped down onto the ground on the tunnel.

Merlin then floated up towards the hole, floated through the gap. A noise outside the door broke his concentration and he fell flat onto Gwaine's back with his face in Gwaine's dark hair. Gwaine released a painful groan. Merlin looked behind him. His eyes flashed yellow and the bars moved back into the wall – as if they had never been removed. The tunnel was dark and the only source of light was coming from the burning torch in the cell.

He looked down at the knight beneath him. His legs were straddling Gwaine's hips and his hands were either side of he Knight's head. Merlin tried to take a lot of his weight onto his hands but he was still, in effect, sitting on Gwaine.

Gwaine made a groaning noise and started to try to speak. Merlin quickly moved his mouth to the side of Gwaine's neck.

"Shhh…." Merlin whispered. "Gwaine…shhh"

Gwaine opened his eyes and found himself face down on a hard stone floor with a weight on his back. His memory of being chained up for the last two weeks raced through his mind and he tried to push himself up with loud groans.

"Gwaine…keep quiet. It's me, Merlin." Merlin whispered into his ear. "Please, Gwaine..be quiet." Merlin felt the Knight beneath him try to move.

Gwaine took in a deep breath and with a sudden move, flipped over onto his back. Merlin was easily tossed into the air and found himself landing on Gwaine's lower stomach and flopping down face down onto Gwaine's chest.

Gwaine pushed himself up into the sitting position and with one hand pulled the back of Merlin's jacket, so he could see the face of the person on top of him. His eyes blearily focussed on Merlin in the near total darkness. Was it really him? Where were they? How did they get here? Gwaine was trying to make sense Merlin being on top of him and the pain in his joints. He had been held prisoner by Morgana for two weeks. He had little to eat and had endured to torture. He cast his eyes around him and saw that he was somewhere dark and cold.

Gwaine looked at the face of his friend in the half-light and he smiled.

"Merlin, " he said huskily. "What…where? How did you?"

Shh," Merlin whispered. "I've come to rescue you"

Merlin heard that the hatch on the door was starting to open. It would only be moments before the guards would realise that the prisoner was no longer in his cell. He knew Morgana would not rest until every corner of her castle was searched.

Anyone looking into the cell would not think to look at the bars. They were small, high up and in place. He heard the door slam open and the noise of a guard moving around the cell.

They must keep quiet. They must stay down on the ground.

Gwaine was still very groggy. He lay head back down on the floor and Merlin fell forwards. He put his hands either side Gwaine's head and looked down at the Knight. Gwaine began to talk again.

"Merlin, I" he began speaking. Merlin knew that the noise would travel down into the cell. He put one hand over Gwaine's mouth but Gwaine grabbed it and pulled it away.

"Wha…." The Knight began to ask and Merlin shoved his other hand over Gwaine's mouth. Gwaine did the exact same thing.

Gwaine closed one eye and tried to get a fix on Merlin. He opened his mouth to speak again and all Merlin could think of doing in his moment of pure panic and fear was to press down his mouth onto Gwaine's.

Gwaine opened both his eyes and found himself also looking into the startled, wide blue eyes of Merlin.

Neither man moved.

Merlin slowly moved his head back from Gwaine, scared that he would start talking again. Their lips parted and they looked at one another. Gwaine still held onto Merlin's wrists and seemed to be momentarily paralysed.

Merlin heard a commotion in the cell and raised voices. "Sound the alarm!" One of the guards shouted.

"Gwaine," Merlin whispered. " We have to get out of here".

Gwaine still looked stunned.

"Gwaine, we need to crawl out of here as quickly as we can"

Gwaine nodded slowly. Merlin pulled his wrists, to indicate Gwaine to let go. Gwaine paused for a moment and then let go of Merlin's wrists. Merlin was about to climb off his friend when Gwaine grabbed his friend and pulled him into his arms, wrapping them around the young Warlock's shoulders in a strong grip. He pressed his mouth firmly against Merlin's, whose lips were shut. Gwaine forced Merlin's lips apart and kissed him fiercely.

Merlin was more scared of making a noise if he tried to struggle than of being kissed. Gwaine's mouth dominated Merlin with a passion Merlin had never experienced before. His tongue probed deeper, teasing Merlin's tongue – making him respond to the power of his kiss.

Gwaine was clearly unaware of the danger they were in! Merlin had never kissed another man before. He recognised that Gwaine was a handsome man. He could see that he had an effect of women but he had never before thought of him in that way. He wasn't fully sure what that way even was. Men kissing men was not something he had thought about and now here he was in one of strangest and unpredictable situations of his life.

Gwaine pulled away and took a deep breath. Merlin was still in his arms and face to face with Gwaine.

"Thank you, Merlin," Gwaine whispered.

"Err,,," Merlin whispered back.

"For rescuing me," Gwaine added.

"There's really no need…." Merlin whispered, wanting them to start to move out of the tunnel but Gwaine pulled him tightly into his arms and kissed Merlin deep and hard. Merlin felt himself responding this time. The first kiss had alarmed him but this one felt different. He liked the way Gwaine kissed him. He liked the way the beard felt against his soft skin and the hardness of his toned body. He also liked the feeling of his arms around him.

"In case we don't make it, Merlin. I just wanted to thank you…" Gwaine whispered into Merlin's face. Gwaine looked at his friend's face in the half-light and realised how beautiful he was. Those high cheekbones, the black hair, blue eyes and pale skin. He knew Merlin was a kind soul and he knew how incredibly brave he was.

"Anytime,,,,no…I mean…" Merlin whispered. How could he be blushing?

Gwaine smiled broadly at his friend. "I may just keep you to that," .

Gwaine let Merlin out of his grip and gestured for them to move, Merlin climbed off Gwaine as quietly as he could. The two of them got on their hands and knees and began to crawl down the tunnel.

The alarm bell began to clang loudly….

"That's if we get out of this…" Gwaine whispered to his friend.

End of Chapter One.


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